April 28, 2020

I think we should call the constant sidesteps we make in our attempt to get around other people theses days - The Covid Dance. “Social Distancing” is required by all and so as we go to the store, for a walk or visit people, we are to keep a safe distance from each other and we are told that, that distance is 6 feet. No end in sight for this situation yet but new treatments are being tested against the virus and the number of new cases in some areas is decreasing and leaders are talking about reopening many businesses that have been closed. The economy is suffering due to the worldwide shutdown of many businesses.

We have been sorting thru and organizing our own family pictures this week and that has been another huge project as was the sortiing thru of Grandpa Tanner’s things last week. Each of these projects has had things layed all over all over the basement but now things are more organized for both and this should allow us easier access to items when we have need of them. We have recorded many of our own pictures on our devices in case we want them and we have had fun tapping into memories of us, our children and our parents.

The grandchildren in each of our four families prepared and then presented dance routines on our family messaging site. Interesting talents we have available in our family and it gave us some entertainment and a good laugh. We are not sure where some of the “moves” these children seem to have come from. Such talent. Wyatt said the Hardy boys looked like “Captain Underpants” and they did.

Our friend Barb came to visit this week after dropping Easter treats off for her nephew’s children. We sat  in the garage and visited while social distancing. Barb has some sorrows and concerns and her nephew and his family have too and she said she needed some ministering so we hope we helped. We keep in touch with the children by FaceTime and messaging and are making contact with friends both here and from our mission. Our mission has an “app” and are in touch that way or by messaging or email.

We are in our fiftieth year of marriage this year and, though I cut Tom’s hair, he has never, never cut mine. However, desperate times call for desperate measures and he, with my assistance, cut my hair this week. It looks pretty good! As we began I asked if we should pray first and he told me to pray and he would cut. I did and he did. Results - pretty good. Isolating causes you to do things we would not have considered otherwise.

We have worked in the yard a little and continue our daily walks. We watch the “Come Follow Me” YouTube broadcasts and listen to conference talks. We are eating well and trying to remain healthy. We are grateful to be in our home and grateful to have each other. We look forward to this concern being resolved and to our return to our mission and the Temple. We are missing those things but are certain that the Lord has a plan in this and we our hoping we are learning and doing the things he would want of us.

We have enjoyed looking back on memories this week as the following pictures may show.

Tom in France on Mission

Walker Family 1980

Wedding August 26, 1970

April 21, 2020

The world conditions have not changed much though in some areas the spread of covid seems to have slowed a little. The economies throughout the world are being negatively affected and many people are eager to open the doors again and get things back to normal. We are concerned that if people rush to reopen the economy and society too quickly the virus will only regain momentum. We realize that  we are fortunate to have each other and be in our own home under relatively good circumstances and we do understand the worries and concerns of so many other individuals.

We continue with our daily walks, sorting thru Grandpa Tanner’s things and our own pictures, reading, staying in touch with children and friends and watching Musicals and other movies and shows on TV . Our tax information was ready and we drove it over to our accountant and left it at his door. We thought he would be swamped but he got it done quickly and had papers back to us for signing within a couple of days. We made our first foray out into the shopping world and went to Costco early this morning along with other seniors. Many were wearing face masks and gloves and we were too. We were let in before younger customers as seniors are at a higher risk during this virus season and they are trying to keep us out of the medical system.

We are trying to keep in touch with friends and our hearts and prayers go out to those who are alone, those who have companions who are ill and those who are dealing with other serious problems on top of the covid 19 virus concerns. Isolating can be fun and interesting for some and a serious struggle and challenge for others. We have one friend who lives in a senior living facility and he and all residents are confined to their rooms and food delivered to their doors. Another friend has had to put down her beloved cat who was also her only companion. And yet another friend’s husband is dying and her children living in the USA probably won’t be able to come up to see him. Our hearts are aching for all of them and we are praying  for the alleviation of not only the virus but all the other side affects it brings along with it.

We are preparing for a family dance demo that each of our families are putting together to share on our family messaging site. We are afraid that means grandparents too. We try to share in our families Sunday activities via FaceTime and offer some additional  thoughts and challenges.

Our son says when seniors are left isolating too long they do strange things. The picture below proves that this is very true.

Yes She Can!

April 14, 2020

The world is still essentially in lockdown but none the less, we have had a wonderful week leading up to and celebrating Easter. The sun has been shining, our walks more comfortable as a result and we feel very blessed. We are here safe in our home and together, in touch with our children and friends and we feel at peace with the whole situation knowing that the Lord is aware, involved and loves us.

We have continued to walk each day, work in our yard and our house and pick away at the organisation of  Grandpa Tanner’s things. The more I am here at home the more redecorating ideas I seem to come up with. Poor Tom. Other than rehanging a few things, nothing major has happened yet. I would like to paint some furniture though while being isolated. We just have to determine how to get the paint.

We prepared for Easter this week by watching several YouTube broadcasts. We normally watch these particular broadcasts for our “Come Follow Me” supplement material. They are “Don’t  Miss This”, “Teaching with Power” and “Book of Mormon Central”. Tom loves supplementing the lessons and so he also reads Terry Smith’s material that he puts online each week. We also watched the  “Don’t Miss This” daily preparing for Easter thoughts and tradition suggestions.. On Good Friday we had our worldwide fast for the alleviation of the effects of the covid 19 virus. It was a very special way to commemorate Good Friday and remember the Savior’s sacrifice for us. It seemed such a small sacrifice on our part. I followed one of the traditions mentioned by the “Don’t Miss This” hosts and boiled eggs with onion peels to dye them red. It worked beautifully. We had our own sacrament meeting on Easter Sunday alone and then connected  with each of  our children and their families and gave a little message or shared our testimonies of the Savior. We love being with them each Sunday. We also did a ward “Zoom” meeting with Bishop Rolfson even though he is down in Utah isolated with his wife’s sister’s family. It turned out to be very nice and it was good to see people even if just on screen. We used our good China and had an Easter feast for two. Lovely week and lovely Easter Day day.

We had to make a quick trip to the bank for Tom to pick up some bank drafts for his mother’s money concerns as he shuts down her account. She has been gone nearly 20 years and he has still been dealing with her investments but has now sold them and a small amount goes to each of her children. We went to see two different cemeteries on two different days. Just interested in seeing what they are like and it provided a couple of outings in the car. We also celebrate each family member’s birthdays these days with e-cards and online greetings from everyone and it was Bryson, our grandson’s, 16th birthday yesterday so a big milestone for him.

We received an Easter Greeting email from our Temple President in London, President Irwin. He tries to keep in touch with us in our separate locations as we all await our return to serve. We also had a call from the Temple Department in Salt Lake verifying our information and our desires to return to our mission. Everyone is in touch with us, including the missionaries from our mission and we appreciate it.
We are well and our family is well and we feel very blessed.

Easter 2020

Come Follow Me Study

April 7, 2020

We are extending our isolation time for safety reasons as the covid virus continues and we are in the senior category at risk. Dear Cindy buys our groceries and drops them off while we have conversation from a distance.

We try to fill our time with worthwhile home activities and it is interesting how we still do not seem to have enough time to get everything done. We try to phone people that we feel might need to talk to someone or that we want to check on. Many people are somewhat surprised that we are home but not entirely as the world population has been admonished to return to their homelands. We keep in touch with the children via FaceTime, phone and messaging. I helped Keaton and Breya make cinnamon rolls this week with the aid of technology and they were delicious so we were told. We have offered to help with the children’s home schooling. Tom has completed a couple of jigsaw puzzles, we walk, clean, do things in and around the house that need doing and we have been going through Grandpa Tanners pictures and papers that Tom has stewardship of in an attempt to organize them. He would like to select somethings to put in an online file so others family members can have access to them. This is a monumental task and a bit daunting for Tom. The things are spread all over our basement while being sorted. We have filled out an historical documentation of our mission and our experience with the evacuation for church history as requested by the church and we have submitted it back to them. That took a lengthy period of time.

The highlight of our week was General Conference. It had been greatly anticipated especially with the life changes the covid virus has made for not only us but for our leaders. President Nelson had told us that we would be commemorating the 200th anniversary of Joseph Smith’s First Vision and it would be a memorable conference unlike any other that we have ever experienced. Who knew what our situation would be at this time? No members were to come to conference due to the virus and leaders met in a room in the Conference Center with only those speaking in attendance and sitting required distances apart. The Tabernacle Choir music was taken from precious recordings and was beautiful. Everyone - EVERYONE was watching or listening from their homes. Alone but altogether. We were presented with the new church logo being the “Christus”, a new Proclamation on the Restoration, given comforting and encouraging words and requested to participate in church wide fast on Good Friday for relief from the effects of the virus. We also had the announcement of eight new Temples. One in Shanghai! I messaged Jean our neighbour right away and she had heard the news and was elated . They are from Shanghai and Wayne, her husband, is still working there but due the virus during this time he is here with his family. Wonderful conference! Wonderful spirit!

General Conference April 2020

Tom’s Puzzle Making

Isolation - March 31st 2020

Matt and Joan Thompson

Peter and Maggie Stokes

Doreen, Sister Jensen, Karen Larsen and Bardens

Lynn and Alma Don Shurtleff 

Doreen Taylor and Pat Fitzner

The last night altogether as missionaries in London March 12, 2020.

We have  decided to continue the “blog” as we had planned that it would be our means of keeping a record of these two years and if the virus and isolation back in our home is part of it - so be it and on we go.

Two weeks has now passed since our return from London and, other than our daily walks, we have been home bound. Cindy and Paul had initially stocked our home with food and have kindly replenished things as we have needed. We read, clean, phone or message people and stay in regular touch with the children and grandchildren. Their lives have also been altered by this pandemic and they too are mainly home bound. The men are largely working from home online or not at all in Brendon and Liza’s cases. The children and Cindy cannot go to school and are or will be doing online schooling and everyone is to limit their exposure to others and only go out for food our emergency needs. Leaders throughout the world are working to stop the spread of this disease and everyone’s lives are changed. Thousands of missionaries throughout the world have been brought home. In some countries the church has chartered numerous airline size planes to get not only the older missionaries but young missionaries out. All the Temples are closed. The world economy has been greatly affected as the main individuals still working are essential services such as medical people, grocery stores etc. Airlines have pretty well stopped flying internationally and are even limiting flights within countries. This situation is unprecedented in the history of the world.

Despite all that is happening many good things have happened as well. Everyone has had to slow down, spend more time with their families and really evaluate what is important. All public entertainment, sports events, large gatherings and even church services have  been cancelled but with President Nelson’s introduction of  the “Come Follow Me” home centered/church supported gospel study program just over a year ago, we all had the means of having home church. In homes where there are priesthood holders, we have also been told to have the sacrament and the sacrament to  be provided at least once a month to others. We have FaceTimed into each our our children’s homes on Sundays and given talks or brief thoughts to be part of their gospel study and meetings. Having our sacrament alone alone is a very touching experience and all of these things will hopefully leave us with some good memories during a difficult time. We are also in daily contact thru an “WhatsApp” with out London Temple family and we are pleased that the Fitzners, Davenports and Hoares all left England earlier than they had planned and are safely home. So far our family is well and the missionaries from our mission are well. Grateful!

The church had a worldwide “fast” on Sunday and prayers for relief from the affects of covid 19. We are so grateful for a Prophet, the gospel and for a Savior who is over all and as a church we are looking forward to General Conference next weekend and hearing from our leaders. That too will be broadcast from the Conference Center online to everyone. They will be in a small room and there will be no choir, congregation or even all the General Authorities at one time. This situation is disruptive to say the least but the Lord has our attention and hopefully we will “Hear Him”.

Tenth and Eleventh Weeks

I am including these two weeks together as everything has run together and I may not continue the blog until we are again sent back out to our mission in London.

How quickly life can change and change it has done in the last week, not just for us, but for the whole world. The beginning of last week we were serving in the Temple as usual and making plans for the upcoming Temple closure. Then came Thursday, March 12th and everything was turned upside down.  Concern for the coronavirus had been increasing everyday and many of our friends’ travel plans had been altered because of this concern. As I entered the lunchroom that day, Sister Shurtleff was dashing out and hurriedly stated that all Americans had been asked to met with President Irwin upstairs. When they returned they were in tears and told us that President Nelson was asking that they return home immediately due to the virus concerns. They were going back to their apartments to pack. We were in tears too. They left, we finished the shift and Tom and I did a session. Doreen Taylor (a British friend) and I sat beside each other, held hands and cried. The change room was far too quiet and lockers were open and empty. When we got back to the Lodge the Americans began giving us their food and other things they couldn’t take with them. It was a crazy scene. Tom started investigating the situation online and found that the full instruction from Salt Lake was for ALL senior missionaries in the world to return home and young missionaries with health concerns. We were confused but when we had a knock on our door and I opened to find President standing there, I said, “You are sending us home too.” He replied, “Yes”,  and stepped inside to give us instructions. Now we started giving food and belongings away to our British friends until......we received instructions that we would be able to return to our same apartments and could leave things in them. Now we started gathering things together again. We were all exhausted. We all met together in the lounge that evening, President came to talk to us and we just visited and tried to digest what had transpired that day. We were told that those who were being released in the next few months would not be coming back but those who were staying longer would be returning. We were all in shock and heartbroken with the turn of events. No one slept well that night.

On Friday we went to serve as usual and some the Americans who had not yet received their travel plans unpacked their Temple clothes and came back to serve with us.  It seemed to bring peace to just be there and be with each other. Most Americans received their travel plans that day and most were told they would be going first thing Saturday morning. Packing, cleaning and organizing continued for all of us that day.

Early Saturday morning a bus arrived to take the first and largest group of missionaries to the airport. We all went out to say goodbye. It was now necessary, because of the loss in workers, for the Temple to provide a reduced Saturday schedule and to combine workers from both shifts but the dear brave patrons came despite changes and virus concerns. We received our travel plans that day. Tom had booked a room at the Hever Castle Astor Annex for my birthday on Sunday night and he had asked President if we could stay long enough to do that. Our flight was scheduled for Monday, March 16th at 1:00 PM. Hever was going to be doable. We went home and continued packing, went for one last walk around the beautiful grounds and had Pat and Chris Fitzner for dinner. They were planning on staying until the end of the month as they have renters in their home and, because we all have to be in home isolation for two weeks, they felt they couldn’t stay with their children and jeopardise them. We were worried about them, as well as the Hoares and Davenports, who both have children visiting and are trying to stay long enough to give the children a good trip.

President Jensen asked Tom to speak at our Sacrament meeting on Sunday. The assignment came Saturday evening so there was not much time to prepare. The Shurtleffs left for home early Sunday morning and we had our church meetings in the lounge. Tom did well and there was a lovely spirit felt in our meetings. We finished packing after church and left for our time at Hever Castle. We explored the Castle again and walked around the lovely grounds. We went to a nearby Pub for Sunday Roast, which is what they call Sunday dinner be it beef, chicken, pork or lamb. We were exhausted but did enjoy our lovely Tudor room.

We needed to leave Hever early and they kindly opened the restaurant early just for us, where we sat by a beautiful Tudor fireplace all by ourselves in a lovely Tudor room. We then hurried back to the Temple where we grabbed our packed luggage and dashed outside where everyone sang Happy Birthday to me and I cried as we said goodbye to all.  Anatsuis took a van, Brother and Sister Sager, their luggage and our luggage and President and Sister Irwin drove us in their car to Heathrow airport. Anatsuis left first but President Irwin managed to catch up and find them on the motorway. Heathrow Airport was crazy and President said he had never seen it in that state. Everyone is trying to get home as instructed by government leaders throughout the world. Planes are going to stop flying from some countries soon. Irwins and Anatsuis would not leave us until they could see that we were going thru security. Sagers left before us and had to rush. We had enough time to collect ourselves, buy some water and “spend a penny” before boarding for the long journey home. Longest birthday I have ever experienced.

Tom had notified the Northcotts that we would returning. They had gone home to Penticton because the Vancouver Temple had already closed. They were, however, coming back to Vancouver to attend a show which ended up being cancelled due to virus concerns, so they cleaned our home and removed their belongings. We appreciated their understanding and accommodating.

Cindy got our home prepared by stocking it with food and Paul and Cindy met us at the airport. No hugs. We dealt with our own luggage and they got us home and inside. Paul put surgical gloves on to help lift our bags. We were now in a two week home isolation. Slept well that night. We hated to leave England but were glad to be home at this difficult time.

March 16th, 2020 was the longest and strangest Birthday I have ever experienced but Tom made it special with Hever Castle, the kids all messaged me, the workers sang to me as we left and an airport security woman noted my passport and wished me a Happy Birthday.

We are now home and in isolation. We talk to the children and others, go on our walks and have set our home up again although we have not unpacked everything. We do not know how long it will be before this all settles down and we are able to return to our mission but right now we are just trying to listen to and follow the voice of the prophet.

Sandy and Linda - Sad Day

President and Sister Jensen - President and Sister Anatsui

Breakfast at Hever Castle March 16, 2020

Hever Castle for Linda’s 70th Birthday 

Nineth Week

The “coronavirus” is proving to be a concern for all areas of the world. We were sorry to hear that the Vancouver Temple found it necessary to close because of the virus and that the first BC death was on the North Shore in the care home near our chapel. Larger church gatherings are being postponed here and the Temple continues to encourage good hygiene and avoidance of unnecessary contact. We are a hugging, handshaking people and it is difficult to break such habits. The Temple has one more week before a two week maintenance closure and patrons continue to come so, other than being a little more cautious, the work continues.

Tom was serving as a sealer several times this week and I was usually assigned as “sealers” assistant to him and the other sealers. This is one of our favourite assignments and we had some special experiences. On Saturday President Jensen sealed a Samoan couple and their seven children. Always exciting when small children are in the Temple. Tom sealed a British/Italian sister to her deceased parents after he first performed her parents sealing. Her whole family were together for this much anticipated occasion and they were all very touched. We also had a young adult girl come in her wheelchair. Her two friends had brought her to the Temple that day and did everything she wanted to do in the Temple. I asked if she had CP and she affirmed that she did but she still really wanted to kneel to perform the family sealings she had brought to do. She had never done sealings before and as I stood outside door I could hear weeping when the first sealing was performed. It was very sweet. The Temple provides you the opportunity to interact with special people as they participate in sacred work that has great meaning to them.

Dora Robertson, one of our single missionary sisters, invited us to lunch on Friday before we served our shift. She lives in one of the small bachelor suites in the Manor House and was able to sit at the table and without getting up, serve the food from the stove and the kitchen counter. It was a lovely lunch and such a kind thing for her to do for us. She is from Slovenia and will be returning home after the closure. She has been in England for years but her elderly father in Slovenia needs her and she is going to be with him.

Our coordinators, the Davenports, served their last day on Saturday. They have been very helpful and very kind to us. A new couple from Ontario arrived Friday. They are the Seaggers and the first new missionaries to arrive since our group in January. We have quite a few leaving soon so we are hoping we have replacements for them. It is a little concerning as our group is quickly moving up the seniority line and we still feel like we are learning. We really have remarkable, consecrated people serving here, all with their own interesting stories, heartbreaks and experiences. Everyone who comes, however, are experienced Temple workers. That is what we all have in common. Everyone loves serving  here and as we have considered why that is, we have come to the conclusion that it is because we all serve every day in a remarkable environment and even when we leave, we all live together here on the Temple grounds, again in another remarkable environment of  love, kindness and concern for one another and it is truly a Zion bubble.

Keith and Lynda Rushforth invited us for dinner on Sunday. They are a British couple and he is also a sealer. They are a wonderful couple and we really had fun with them us they explained where and how we should travel and they also shared with us the interesting, heartbreaking and eventually happy story of their daughter Katie. They are friends, as well as many others, that we would like to keep after we leave England.

Churchill’s Chartwell 

The Shurtleffs at Chartwell

Chartwell

On Monday the vans took us to Haskin’s beautiful new plant nursery just down the road where we shopped and ate at the cute restaurant. They then drove us to Chartwell, Winston Churchill’s home, only about eight miles away. It is still furnished with their furnishings in the decor Lady Churchill planned. His clothes, uniforms and many of his awards were on display and many of his paintings hung on the walls. We would like to go back when the beautiful gardens are in bloom and the weather is warmer so we can walk around the large property. When both vans go, we take about 20 missionaries with us. We took a picture of the Shurtleffs standing behind Chartwell. They are a great couple. They have  served as a Temple, Mission and MTC President and wife. He is a world known composer and conductor. They are fun and funny. They keep thinking they are old but aren’t we all.